Wa"fer , v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wafered (?);
p. pr. & vb. n.
Wafering.]
To seal
or close with a wafer.
Wa"fer (?), n. [OE.
wafre, OF. waufre, qaufre, F. qaufre; of Teutonic origin; cf. LG. &
D. wafel, G. waffel, Dan. vaffel, Sw. våffla; all akin to G.
wabe a honeycomb, OHG.
waba, being named from
the resemblance to a honeycomb. G. wabe is probably akin to E. weave. See Weave, and cf. Waffle, Gauffer.]
1. (Cookery) A thin cake made of flour
and other
ingredients.
Wafers piping hot out of the gleed.
Chaucer.
The curious work in pastry, the fine cakes, wafers, and
marchpanes.
Holland.
A woman's oaths are wafers -- break with making
B.
Jonson. 2. (Eccl.) A thin cake or piece of bread (commonly unleavened, circular, and stamped with a crucifix or
with the sacred monogram) used in the Eucharist, as in the Roman
Catholic Church.
3. An adhesive disk of dried
paste, made of flour, gelatin, isinglass, or the like, and coloring matter, -- used in sealing letters
and other documents.
Wafer cake, a sweet, thin
cake. Shak. -- Wafer irons, or Wafer tongs (Cookery), a pincher-shaped contrivance, having flat plates, or blades, between which wafers are baked. -- Wafer woman, a woman who sold wafer cakes; also, one employed in amorous intrigues. Beau. & Fl.
Hear it pronounced